Ten armed Islamists were killed in a sweep through forests in the Ouzou region, 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Algiers, and seven others at Beni Ghazli in the Tlemcen region, 500 kilometers west of the capital, papers said.

The daily El Khabar reported Saturday that only four Islamists were killed in the clash at Beni Ghazli, adding that 10 members of the security forces were injured.

No official information on the incidents was available Sunday morning.

At least 1,000 people have been reported killed in Algeria, including more than 200 Islamic extremists, since a six-month amnesty called by the government for the fighters expired on January 13th - ALGIERS (AFP)